As the warmer summer months come to an end I can't help but wonder how many of us will be driving our 8's in the winter months. This is more directed to the states that get a heavy winter...

I live in Mn and plan on driving mine anyone else?

 

please see my sig for the winter link

 

I will only drive it on nice days unless my 3000GT decides to die, then its every day !

 

I already have one garage queen, so my 8 will be out and about this winter, but I do have a truck for the snow days and for when they put salt on the roads.

 

Another year of hibernation for mine . From Dec 10 till April 10 .................

 

I will be out, unless I can find a TDI at a good price before then.

 

I'll be driving the beater GLK this wnter

 

i live in pa and winters get pretty bad. i dont drive my 8 in the winter but i have a jeep wrangler and bought my gf a subie

 

Mine will most likely be my DD for winter unless we don't trade in the wifes car when we get her a new one in the next couple months. If that's the case, I'll probably keep it for a winter beater.

 

With my Michelin Pilot Alpins, I've driven from NYC to New Hampshire every Christmas since '06… no problems whatsover.

 

I'll be out and about, cept when I'm not near it. Winter tires = must have...

And Apr 10th?? I did that last year and got caught in snow TWICE with my summer tires on... Not something I care to repeat...

 

Lol I was just thinking I am going to have to save up for some winter tires. Ugh... More money I dont have.

 

Driven every winter, all winter...

 

unfortunately i think i will be driving my 8 this winter. my daily driver still has a blown head gasket and i have other priorities for my money at the moment (saving for a wedding). luckily my job is very flexible and i can work from home when the roads aren't great. they leave it up to my discretion.

 

Im thinking of getting a truck.

 

This will be my first winter with my RX-8. I'm kind of scared, really. I don't have winter tires (Riding on Hankook Ventus V12s), and can't really afford to purchase any in the next month or two, so yeah...

Maryland is hit or miss when it comes to snow. Last year we had RIDICULOUS amounts of snow (East coast blizzard of 2010, anyone?) but the year before that I don't think we got a single inch.

 

all seasons are definitely needed even if you don't get much/any snow, especially if you see cold temperatures. as mentioned in zoom's winter driving guide, performance tires will tend to turn rock hard and you won't get any traction. if you see a decent amount of snow/ice, it would be best to buy some winter tires.

 

the problem is deep snow in nebraska.

 

I like driving my 8 in the winter. I like driving my 8 and couldn't imagine not driving it. I never had to compromise and drive the wifes santa fe.

 

Coming up on the 7th winter with the RX 8 . Have to have the snow tires though. Last year we had three storms over 2 feet each two of which were right around when my son was born. Drove up to the hospital to visit my wife and baby at the end of one and none of the doctors could believe that I had driven a rear wheel sports car up there. I've never had any problems with it as a snow car. Love the thing.

 

Driving the Jetta again
The 8 suffers too much in the winter...

 

I'll drive it in the winter, but not in snow (or rain for that matter). I don't want it to get all rusty underneath like my 7*. I wish I could afford a second car, but I can't right now so I'll have to sacrifice my (already rusty) 7 until I can bring myself to sell it (the 7 I mean).

*(fyi, it's a '91 n/a.)

 

Yep, will be out and about this winter, like last.

 

My 2007 is my daily driver (as was my 2004 before), including all winter. In the 2004 I made the mistake of trying to get by on the original Bridgestone tires, which was a BIG problem - the stock tires are totally useless in snow.

As soon as I bought my 2007 I replaced the original Bridgestones with Continental ExtremeContact high-performance all-season tires, which has worked out great. For *street* driving I can't tell the difference by the seat of my pants in dry-weather performance compared with the Bridgestones, but it's a WORLD of difference in the snow, and rain. I don't know how well it would work in a truly heavy snow area, but in the *usually* moderate winters around Philadelphia, the Continentals have made my RX8 perfectly useable all year round (except last year of course, with 4 insane blizzards that each dumped over 2 ft of snow - but nothing was moving then until the roads were cleared).

My bottom line, I think that good all-season tires (and sane driving) will let a RX8 be driven in moderate winter climates (works fine for me) - after all, until couple of decades ago, all cars were rear-wheel drive, and got through winters OK - but might not work in heavy winter conditions. For Minnesota, you probably want to get Blizzaks or some other dedicated true snow tires.

 

I actually thought I might just try and get away without snow tires... that thought lasted literally 30 seconds as I slid down my entire driveway (while braking) and into the street where I was stuck for about ten minutes in a patch of snow over slick ice.
Blizzaks make the drive perfect in the winter to anyone wondering about snow tires for heavy-ish snow!